# Let'm know how y'all tawk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811 "2003-02-22T18:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/1 "2003-02-22T18:27:15Z")
The Dialect Survey maps dialect patterns across the US. It’s really interesting to take the surveys, and then to look at the map and see where your speech patterns are found. Although it’s aimed at speakers of “North American English”, by which I think they really mean US english, they say that speakers of all varieties of English are welcome to take the survey. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/2 "2003-02-22T19:21:31Z")
This is pretty neat. Thanx **Lucretia**! ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/3 "2003-02-22T19:39:38Z")
I’ll take the test later… But I say “melk” (With “mel” starting like the name “Melody”). A few of my friends who arn’t around northern NY get a kick out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/4 "2003-02-22T21:41:46Z")
Interesting. Although I was born and raised in the South, by a father who was also born in the South, and a mother born and raised in Kansas, but moved to Georgia in her early 20’s - I speak like a Californian. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/5 "2003-02-22T21:51:02Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. What do you call the activity of driving around in circles in a car? > > a. doing donuts (80.06%) > b. doing cookies (1.71%) > c. whipping shitties (1.36%) > d. other (16.87%) “Whipping shitties”? ---
**Author:** ![scablet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@scablet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scablet)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/6 "2003-02-22T22:08:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lyllyan \* > \*\*Interesting. Although I was born and raised in the South, by a father who was also born in the South, and a mother born and raised in Kansas, but moved to Georgia in her early 20’s - I speak like a Californian. :dubious: \*\* What? “Like a Californian”? WHAT?! : plaintive whine : We Californians don’t _have_ accents, it’s the _rest_ of the world that speaks funny… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scablet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@scablet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scablet)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/7 "2003-02-22T22:11:28Z")
Oh, and question 49 > [@](#): > > 1. I \_\_\_\_ her lifeless body from the pool > a) dragged > b) drug > c) I use both interchangeably > d) other: …made me laugh, for whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Gui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@El\_Gui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Gui)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/8 "2003-02-22T22:18:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lyllyan \* > \*\*I speak like a Californian. :dubious: \*\* And that’s, like, a bad thing? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/9 "2003-02-22T22:28:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jackelope \* > \*\*“Whipping shitties”? \*\* I had the same reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/10 "2003-02-22T22:29:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jackelope \* > \*\*“Whipping shitties”? \*\* **Band name!** ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/11 "2003-02-22T22:34:28Z")
When I came across “whipping shitties” (the last time I went there, I took the survey), I immediately made that one of my ‘away’ messages for AIM: “not here, busy whipping shitties!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scablet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@scablet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scablet)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/12 "2003-02-22T22:43:08Z")
I was amused by “eye shit” as an answer to **82. What do you call the gooey or dry matter that collects in the corners of your eyes, especially while you are sleeping?** (I have always called it _crud_ or _eye crud_ and was shocked when it wasn’t a choice) ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/13 "2003-02-22T22:52:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Gui \* > \*\*And that’s, like, a bad thing? > > 😛 \*\* Not a bad thing or a good thing, just a perplexing thing, thus the :dubious: . (I tend to raise one eyebrow when perplexed.) I liked the “pennie wallies” as well. It sounds so, quaint, what? ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/14 "2003-02-22T23:14:36Z")
[http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/index.html](http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/index.html) Why can’t I take it??? ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/15 "2003-02-22T23:24:43Z")
For the record, the answer to Question 77 should be “cutting donuts,” not “doing donuts.” I talk Southern, and I know it. Took the test anyway, and found out that some of you people talk weird. ---
**Author:** ![Cleanup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Cleanup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleanup)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/16 "2003-02-22T23:33:45Z")
Took it a few hours ago… how long does it take for the answers to be processed? ---
**Author:** ![Cleanup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Cleanup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleanup)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/17 "2003-02-22T23:35:03Z")
Scratch that last post. I am sooo stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/18 "2003-02-23T17:44:44Z")
**brianjedi** , in my neck of the woods we _did_ donuts, not cut them. That’s why surveys such as this are interesting - each area has it’s own dialect if you will and phraseology. This was a very interesing survey. Would take bloody ages to look at each answer, but was still fun. I absolutely _LOVED_ the “whipping shitties” 😃 too funny! ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/19 "2003-02-23T18:32:50Z")
I speak Standard American (that’s the official name of “how people talk on tv,” spoken by nearly everybody in this area of New York), with a smattering of oddities picked up in Mississippi. In almost every case, the answer I gave is the most popular one on the map. In cases where I know I speak differently from the people I know in Mississippi and East Texas, the Mississippi version is usually one of the least popular ones, supported by a single blue dot on the Gulf of Mexico or a tiny splotch across that bit of the country. (“_IN_-sur-ance,” calling a shopping cart a “buggy,” calling crayfish “mudbugs,” for example - well, actually, on that last one they didn’t even get a dot, but it IS the least popular choice!). I love this kind of thing. By the way, it’s called _doing donuts_ and that’s all there is to it. You could only _cut_ a donut if you were in somebody’s yard wrecking their grass, but you can _do_ donuts in the parking lot and freak out your innocent passengers. :evil: ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811/20 "2003-02-23T18:49:18Z")
The map breakdowns are great. You can really see the regional differences on some things. I was surprised, however, by some of the things that were pretty evenly distributed around the country that I thought were going to be regional. (the pronunciation of “aunt” for instance) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letm-know-how-yall-tawk/156811.md?page=2)